Prince William channels Diana in hospital photo

Prince William observes surgery for the removal of a bladder tumor on a male patient during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital on November 07, 2013.

Prince William took us back in time on Thursday, as new photos were released of the royal in a surgical mask, channeling his late mother as he observed a procedure at a hospital in London.

The Duke of Cambridge donned the mask while in the Wolfson Surgical Suite at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, where he observed a breast reconstruction surgery for a cancer patient, as well as a bladder surgery.

The image immediately brought another one to mind: Princess Diana watching a heart operation in 1996, where she was filmed wearing a similar surgical mask.

HistoryvsHollywood via YouTube

Princess Diana observing a surgery.

Prince William's visit was well chronicled on social media, where the hospital — which specializes in a range of cancer surgery procedures — provided numerous updates via Twitter, sharing pictures of the royal and explaining that he was "just paying a visit to view surgery in action."

The Prince paid the visit as part of his role as president of the Royal Marsden NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust.